Festive Interior Styling for Warm Weather with Carpet Court

Heather Nette King is a Melbourne-based interiors stylist and writer for many leading interior titles and newspapers. The hallmarks of her styling are colour and vibrancy, and she writes passionately about peoples’ homes and how they live in them.

After yet another tumultuous year, I am certainly ready to get the 2021 festivities started. I’ve already warned my family that this year, I will not be missing a single chance to add festive touches throughout my home – from the dining room to the living room and beyond. This is no time to be a minimalist, rather, my festive décor will be eye-catching and probably just a little over the top. So, if you’d like some decorating ideas to suit these interior design styles, read on.

TRADITIONAL FESTIVITIES

The holiday season is often associated with décor styles and colour palettes bound by tradition, with an array of reds, crimsons, greens, and highlights of sparkly metallics like gold and brass. Traditional flooring styles, like parquetry, have also begun to re-emerge. Arranged to create distinct patterns through smaller pieces of timber, Parquetry is a stunning and unique way to arrange your timber flooring.

This is a traditional look that can be recreated in your home for the holiday season with Carpet Court’s GrandOak Herringbone and Chevron or Masterpieces Range. To achieve this traditional look in its entirety though, it’s all about abundance and layering; with sparkling candles and fairy lights, a centrepiece that will add height to the scene, and loads of greenery like pinecones or fir branches that smell just as traditional as they look.

CONTEMPORARY CELEBRATIONS

I personally love a mix of traditional and contemporary festive décor, particularly when it comes to tablescaping. To achieve this look, I like to combine a blend of old and new cutlery and ceramics on the dining table, and always include some DIY elements too. My favourite DIY festive hack is to write my guest’s names on glass baubles, along with the date, and use them as place settings. Remember, festive home décor doesn’t need to be limited to just a tree or a table setting – window ledges, coffee tables, side tables, doorways – pretty much any small or large space that you can find to hang a lovely bit of tinsel on will do. At home, this is a look that works beautifully with our mix of contemporary andvintage furniture against our rustic oak floorboards. To get the look, check out Carpet Court’s Precinct Oak in Whitehaven.

TAKING IT OUTSIDE: THE RISE OF THE OUTDOOR RUG

I would not be at all surprised to hear that this year, more of us will be taking our festive celebrations outside. We have a new-found appreciation for spending time with loved ones under the sun, on a beautiful deck, courtyard, or even a picnic in the park or by a lake. Setting the scene for al fresco festivities should follow the same style guidelines for inside celebrations but, of course, we can relax the rules a little.

When creating outside entertaining scenes I always start (just as I do indoors) with the flooring – in this case an outdoor rug. Outdoor rugs are the best way to create an entertaining zone – be it under an outdoor table or creating a central point for casual outdoor settings. Recently though, we’ve seen picnics rise in popularity, and the functionality and durability of outdoor rugs makes them the perfect starting point when styling for your celebration. They can even act as your tablecloth if you choose to picnic on the ground with cushions. You can create many festive scenes with Carpet Court’s range of outdoor rugs. My personal favourites include the navy and white striped Seaside rug and the Terrace outdoor rug in Diamond Natural.

Whichever way you and your loved ones choose to celebrate the festive season, there is always a stylish and achievable way to make these looks come alive.